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"Many nations, especially in Asia and Europe, are turning to nuclear power to provide a carbon emissions-free source of energy," the Journal said, "and are opening multibillion-dollar bidding for the construction of new reactors or the replacement of aging plants."

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), there were 437 nuclear power reactors in operation at the end of 2009 -- 339 of which had been in operation for more than 20 years. Nuclear energy supplies 16% of the world's electricity, according to GE. The IAEA estimates this will increase to a quarter of global electricity by 2050, the Journal says.

Hitachi and GE created two joint ventures in 2007 -- in Japan and in the U.S. -- to sell boiling water reactors. But the technology hasn't been picked up widely outside of Japan. In countries where nuclear power is well established, the existing technology used is considered reliable, and GEH found it challenging to convince customers to switch to another technology. The long lead time and high costs involved is another deterrent. Also, in France and Russia GEH is competing with major local suppliers like Areva SA (ARVCY) and Rosatom.

GEH believes it has better prospects in bidding for contracts in countries that want to introduce nuclear power for the first time, like Vietnam. The alliance plans to open two sales offices in Europe and one each in the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, the Journal reports. And according to Hirotada Nagashima, department manager of Hitachi's Nuclear Business Planning & Management, GEH's target markets include the U.S., Vietnam, the U.K., Spain and Poland.

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edwardewewew

Some people are worrying about the nuclear waste from nuclear power plant, but I think people should know that there is only one truck of waste per year from nuclear plant, while for example from coal power plant there are thousends of freight cars of waste per year plus bad gases released to air. Using heavy oil to burn it or engine-generator, produce bad gases which polluting our atmosphere than we have to breath it.

Is FRANCE the answer??? There is one HUGE problem at this time with nuclear power: The plants do NOT last for ever. So you end up hundreds of thousands of toms of nuclear irradiated (hot) materials left over and what do you do with all that stuff???? Remember all the $billions we spent on the Yucca Mountain storage facilities??? Yeh, pretty silent on that aren't they? We STILL have NO place to store an old, worn out, unusable, 150 ton containment chamber! Think of this: we only have a relatively few reactors at this time, and even so, we now have enough waste, sitting around at hundreds of "non-storage" areas..... we have no place to go with any of it, it is huge..... it could fill the entire state of Delaware. We have a very large amount dumped here in Idaho, that the Feds have "promised" for years to get rid of.... but can't...... no place to go with it! Yes, and crooked nations like France are compacting it and dumping it in our oceans!!!! Where are the green weenies on that? This crap has a half life that is so long that 100 years from now, it is still virtually unchanged, and is still tooooo dangerous to get near! Lastly, storage: Anybody remember what happened to the huge Siberian storage area in Russia 30 some years ago? They got tooooo much stuff, toooo close together, and it all errupted up and out, and burnt up the entire facility. They don't talk about that do they?

Do any of you remember "Peanut-head Carter" and the fake oil and energy crisis back then? Huge gas shortage lines of traffic? Yep, it turned out to be completely contrived, no oil shortage, electricity shortage, or anything else.... just a Green Weenie trick on us all,....and... Carter was part and parcel with it! Then President Carter appointed (back then), a new HUGE government entity with only one job: Remember it? It was the new Department of Energy, and it's one and only defined job was to free us from oil dependence from Saudi Arabia and such like ilk. Uh, how are they doing on their job after 30+ years???! That is why you should NOT expect anything of value from Obozo on these issues either! Huge new government people, deparments and (supposed) leaders will do NOTHING to actually fix anything and disturb the status-quo. Pretty sad. Along those lines..... how many decades have they made campaign promises to "fix" Social Security, or Energy dependence? or , or???? Government is exactly what Ronald Reagan said it was, "Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem!" Amen.

I worked at three nuke plants, from one end to the other in the construction and pretesting phases. I was a certified Q.A./Q.C. weld, N.D.T., assembly and test inspector, also in safety, in nukes and other areas around this country for about 30 year. I feel certain that until at least the following three areas are corrected, the nuke plants are financially compromised. I will let others discuss waste. 1. Because of the free enterprise system the plants are not standardized. As each is unique they can be designed by the inexperienced from initial design to problem solving. This creates lengthy time and expensive delays. 2. Related to the above, is the design function of the material by the different groups. Where 1/4 inch angle iron would be acceptable to hold up sensor lines and piping, 1/2 inch Z bar is used. 3. Failure on the parts of management and unions to control the quality and timely workmanship, as well as intentional sabotage and damage to the facilities as a whole.

WE all know that regardless of all the baloney going around out there by Green Weenies, that we are going to need MORE electricity over time than ever before. Even as the Green Weenies tell us we have to get off of oil, they buy their new fast high power consumption computers and electronic gadgetry using more and more power. Right now we are falling back onto coal, so they bitch about coal and the trumped up "carbon footprint" when they are as much the problem as everyone else is! How phony abnd full of it can one get? So, we go back to water / hydo power, oh.... but they are bitching about that now too. So, what's left.... atomic power...... you guessed it, they also bitch about the risk, contamination, and the environmental heat, etc. etc. I guess they want all of "us" to walk or bicycle everywhere, sit in the dark, and turn off our computers.... but that does not really apply to such elite as themselves. Reminds me of the liar Al Gore, he gives us fake science, then uses more electricity and other energy forms at a rate that is 20 to 30 times the average person. Pretty funny stuff, eh?

Again,the majority of posters indicate a favorable position on atomic energy. To get this accomplished we have to CLEAN HOUSE in WASHINGTON and elect members that will follow the wishes of their constituents. If they don't,run them out each election until we can get members regardless of their Party, to work together and get things accomplished. I am in favor of term limits to keep these folks from selling their souls to the Lobbyists and Special Intrest Groups.

I'm 73 and feel that government short-sightedness has deprived the country of a better standard of living during my lifetime. Our over-dependence on foreign oil is a direct result of that, because additional electrification would surely have led to earlier pure-electric vehicles. The rest of the world has left us behind because of unreasonable, "chicken-little" type fears by our "experts". Shame on them!

I think we should follow the France. They are getting around 70% of electric power from nuclear plants. Nuclear energy is safe, reliable and efficient. People should get better knowledge on the subject before making opinions. It seems that some peoples minds are still in dark ages, they are afraid af anything new and they are spreading sometime ridicules messages not knowing what they are talking about.

here in sun city, arizona, we are using nuclear power. in the united states we should try to compete with france. where they are using 80% nuclear we are only using 20%. let's built several nuclear plants. bob ryan